About Summer House Santa Monica

Located in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, Summer House Santa Monica presents an escape to the warmth and laid-back vibes of the West Coast, complete with beach house décor and a beautiful retractable glass ceiling.

At the heart of the open kitchen lies a wood fire grill that is the workhorse of many of Summer House’s menu items. The menu, created by Chef/Partner Jeff Mahin, is California inspired and focuses on market driven ingredients, local and sustainable farming, and seasonal specialties, all complemented by a carefully curated list of California and Pacific North Coast wines.

Catering:Located in the heart of Lincoln Park, Summer House features a menu that spotlights locally sourced produce & ingredients.

Accommodating parties of 10-250 guests, Summer House exudes an atmosphere perfect for weddings / receptions, bridal & baby showers, family gatherings, birthdays, daytime lunches, corporate events & more! Summer House also offers large cookie/bakery orders, perfect for when you want to host events at home & offer a special treat for your guests!

Side Dishes

Private Dining

Host your next event at Summer House Santa Monica! The restaurant is designed to evoke the atmosphere of a summer beach house with warm tones and a large glass ceiling positioned directly over the dining room creating the perfect ambiance for socializing & celebrating.

Amazing food. Wow! Fantastic service. Luis was friendly, fun and knew the entire menu. I asked him to surprise me with a great dish since everything appeared too good to make a decision. Will be returning soon!

The food was OK, calamari delicious! It seems overpriced for all the great restaurants you can eat at in Chicago. I didn't order it, but $21 for half a head of cauliflower (the cauliflower steak) steamed over salt water is ridiculous

Seated right away even though we were late for our reservation - very friendly staff from the front to departure. Valentine's Day was busy but they handled it extremely well. Food was excellent - always enjoy Summer House - lunch or dinner or a quick bite anytime.

Tags: Good for Birthdays, Handcrafted Cocktails, Good for a Date, Good for Anniversaries, Neighborhood Gem, Creative Cuisine, Fun, Healthy, Fit for Foodies, Special Occasion, Kid-friendly, Worth the Drive, Great for Lunch, Bar Seating

After spending two COLD days in Chicago this restaurant is exactly what was needed. Although it is a ways from dowtown it was worth the cab fare to sit in a restaurant that made you feel like you were at the beach. Skylights and white interior was so relaxing and beautiful. The creative dishes were out of my norm but so glad I tried them. Will definitely return on my next trip!

Tags: Great for Brunch, Seasonal, Kid-friendly, Creative Cuisine, Worth the Drive, Hot Spot, Cozy, Casual, Good for Birthdays, Authentic, Scenic View, Local Ingredients, Fit for Foodies, Live Sports, Great for Lunch, Good for Groups, Neighborhood Gem, Fun

Flavors and tastes worked so well. Housemade hummus was incredible - as was the kale salad. A variety of main courses were ordered by our table. Thumbs up on all! Chicken breast on polenta with mushrooms. Mahi mahi tacos. Amish chicken tacos. Trout on mashed potatoes. Everyone was pleased with their selections. Generous portion sizes. Even saved room to share toffee pudding dessert. Weeknight crowd was good. Service was attentive and helpful-friendly. We will be back!

Came for RW Brunch, although have been there for their regular brunch menu before, and could not have been more impressed! Everything was delicious and their RW menu was an awesome value and everything was still the standard portions, I was really impressed. I love Summerhouse brunch and highly recommend for great food and great ambiance.

There were three of us in our party. I ordered the tostadas. SO GOOD!My mother ordered the (3) eggs breakfast. The eggs were over cooked, the sausage patties were fairly spicy for breakfast and the hash browns were a little oily. She is a bit of a picky eater but this breakfast was very basic and executed just OK. Our other diner had the eggs Benedict. SH makes their English muffins in house which are really good with butter and jam, but they were not a good size (too big) for the eggs Benedict. Also the Canadian bacon was more like thin sliced ham.

It was unfortunate that the other two people with me didn't like their meal. Everyone agreed mine was awesome. But only so many (non-hotel) places open for breakfast at 8am.

Also, this a family neighborhood, so almost every table had children. Beware if you are not in the mood for a random child scream right behind you. Most were well behaved, but it was noticeable.

Wonderful food and friendly staff! My second time having Sunday breakfast here, and everything was great both times! Coffee, egg-white omelet, bacon, fruit, salmon benedict, all delicious! The cinnamon roll starter smelled so heavenly, and my fiancé and best friend's husband were raving about how good it was!

Tags: Good for a Date, Fit for Foodies, Comfort Food, Great for Brunch, Kid-friendly, Sunday Lunch, Casual, Gluten Free Options

Summer House was great. My friend and I had a reservation on a Saturday during restaurant week. I wen with the standard $44 for 3 courses. The value was worth it and our server was very attentive, knowledgable and super friendly.

Tags: Romantic, Comfort Food, Good for Birthdays, Good for a Date, Special Occasion, Handcrafted Cocktails, Hot Spot

Had birthday brunch for our girlfriend and everyone had the best time. We were warmly greeted and promptly seated. Our server was so nice and attentive. Food, very yummy. Will definitely be coming back. Beautiful layout.

I asked for Salmon done medium and it came out barely cooked. I asked to have a piece that was cooked more fully and they brought back a tiny salmon filet that was burned to a point that it was hard to cut. On a large plate there was a tiny piece of salmon and some spinach for $32.95. So disappointing.

Stacy was our waitress and she was fantastic! We were celebrating a Birthday, I don't think they read the open table reservation because it wasn't acknowledged. The service, food and ambiance was so great that it didn't matter. I really loved this place and will be returning, the food was seasoned to perfection and the Kale Salad was to die for, do not take it home it will have your car smelly :).

Awesome experience! Food was great, but the service was phenomenal. Our server made excellent suggestions and was extremely knowledgeable about the menu. We started with calamari, I ordered the filet and my husband ordered the ribeye, then we ended with a warm cookie and ice cream. All were suggested by our server—all delicious. The only thing I would change is the side that came with my filet. It came with onion rings, and I would have liked something more on par with the quality of meat I was eating.

My husband and I came for a casual date night before heading to Steppenwolf and were surprised to find that Saturday night meant kid night at Summer House. We found the atmosphere to be less than ideal for a date night when every other table included kids under the age of 6. Not what we were looking for - we won’t be back.

The hostess team was more than accommodating and truly gave us a 10/10 experience. Our waitress was absolutely incredible and attentive to our large group. The food was amazing per usual, the menu is extensive and offers a large variety of options for guests. Overall, an incredible experience and absolutely recommend.

Tags: Good for Birthdays, Great for Lunch, Gluten Free Options, Fun, Good for Anniversaries, Good for a Date

We finally had a chance to try Summer House Santa Monica for brunch and it did NOT disappoint. The food was incredible up to and including the gluten free options. The service was spot on and bloody's were superb. Might just be our new favorite brunch spot in Chicago.

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